Paleontology – Flightless Birds of the South Hemi.

Paleontology – Flightless Birds of the South Hemi.
On Natures Talk Shows Fine Art of Paleontology,please join our hosts,Ken McKeighen and Ken Boorman as they discuss he Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere.

What do the ostrich in Africa, emu in Australia, rhea in South America, cassowary in New Guinea and the kiwi from New Zealand have in common? They all belong to a particular species called ratites or ?birds that cannot fly.?

Notice something unique about where these birds are found? They are all located in the Southern Hemisphere!

The birds also had a common ancestor known as the elephant bird which once lived in Madagascar. As the name implies, these were huge birds ? 10 feet (3 metres) tall.